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Merseyside firms in safety plea

Father of two, Jason Anker, who was paralysed at the age of 24 following a workplace accident, is urging small Merseyside firms to pay heed to safety.

Jason made the plea when speaking on 15 September to nearly 400 construction bosses and self-employed workers at a free safety event held at Haydock Park Racecourse as part of the Working Well Together initiative – a partnership between the Health and Safety Executive and the building industry which aims to improve health and safety in construction.

Describing his own accident Jason, now 43, explained that he was working for a small Midlands roofing firm when he fell from a ladder to the ground ten feet below. The job had overrun so risks were taken. The ladder was not tied to the building and slipped as he climbed down.

Jason said that he was devastated when he learned that he would not walk again. He had never thought that it could happen to him. He added that small construction firms were tempted to take risks if they had to meet tight deadlines and had other jobs to get to. He warned that what had happened to him could happen to others too.

Mike Cross, HSE’s Head of Construction in the North West, emphasised the importance of getting the safety message across to small firms. He was delighted that Jason was able to help at the event adding that, in Jason’s case, a few minutes spent securing the ladder would have meant that Jason would still be able to walk today.

Mr Cross expressed the hope that construction bosses and self-employed workers would continue to attend free events like that at Haydock and take advantage of the safety advice on offer.

The Haydock Park event included not only safe work at height but also practical demonstrations on harness safety, asbestos and other dust-related diseases, power tool vibration injuries and working in confined spaces.

In 2009/10 in all 42 construction workers were killed at work, accounting for more than one quarter of all workplace deaths. A further three thousand suffered serious injuries.

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